On the fast track to success

News-Times, The (Danbury, CT)

Published
8:00 pm EDT, Sunday, September 14, 2008

The former Danbury High valedictorian and captain of the Yale track team graduated in May with a 3.59 GPA in biomedical engineering, and earned a place on the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District Team. She was also named to the 2008 All-Academic Track and Field Teams by the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association.

With her prolific track career having come to an end (Calle was a two-time NCAA qualifier in the 3,000-meter steeplechase, is third on Yale's steeplechase record list and still holds the steeplechase record at Danbury High), she'll focus exclusively on her academics.

From now until July of 2009 she will be living in New Haven, working in the engineering lab in the Yale School of Medicine while she prepares to apply for graduate school. Calle is working on a project to grow new lung tissue, and is also working in collaboration with Texas A&M on a project to grow blood vessels.

Maintaining a high GPA at one of the most prestigious universities in the country, spending 20 hours a week in the lab working on her senior project, and training for the track team was not easy. But Calle recognizes the benefits of it all.

"For me, academics have always been priority, even in high school," she said. "Track was something I greatly I enjoyed, great stress reliever. I knew I wasn't going to go pro or something. It's as much about the experience; you learn a lot about yourself, learn a lot about other people."

"(My busy schedule) certainly was challenging as times. But it definitely helped. Not only did it help me structure my time and prioritize, but with the team comes close friends who provide support."

Danbury High girls track coach Kevin Wilcox, who coached Calle when she was in high school, is very familiar with her athletic and academic prowess, and has maintained contact with Calle since she's graduated.

"Obviously, she had to be extremely organized and be able to put things in perspective," he said. "But she always had her priorities straight. She's very competitive, hated losing, and I think a lot of that comes out in the classroom itself, for all athletes, not just Liz. When you're competitive, you want to be the best you can be, and it comes out in all aspects."

"We touch base all the time," he added. "I'll call her every once in a while. She's a kid you knew right from the start was going to be successful in whatever she did."

Despite a sometimes-chaotic schedule, Calle does not regret staying as active as she did, and already gets nostalgic reminiscing about her career, and a future without the camaraderie of the team.

"It definitely is tough. Just this past weekend the cross country girls -- every year we go up to New Hampshire or Vermont together. Some of the girls were coming from Maryland and asked if they could stay with us. That's something I did every year in college, and it kind of hit me that it's really over. They're moving on with the season and I'm not going to be a part of it. It was a huge part of my life. It's strange to have the free time that I didn't have, and not have that part of my life with coaches and athletes."